The ground cracked beneath his feet, the pressure forcing him backward several meters before he could brace himself.
"Tch… it's fast for its size."
The Iron Lash lunged again, this time in a brutal horizontal swing. Alex ducked low, barely evading the strike as the blade cleaved through a nearby building, sending debris flying. He spun mid-crouch and countered with a diagonal slash, aiming for its waist—
—but the Iron Lash parried with uncanny precision, locking blades with him. Sparks flew between their weapons, and for a moment, they were locked in a contest of pure strength.
"Fine," Alex hissed through gritted teeth. "Let's see how you handle this."
He released one hand from his scythe, flicking out a shadow-coated dagger from his inventory and stabbing it toward the creature's exposed joint. The Iron Lash swung its sword, deflecting the dagger, but the motion gave Alex the opening he needed.
He kicked off the ground, flipping backward just as the Iron Lash's blade smashed down where he had stood. The impact sent shockwaves through the street, shattering the remains of nearby houses.
As Alex landed, more chains erupted from the surrounding wraiths, striking from every direction. He sprinted through the chaos, rolling and vaulting over falling rubble while dodging chain after chain. Every building he passed was torn apart in seconds, collapsing into heaps of dust and broken stone.
"Persistent bastards," he muttered, eyes glinting as he raced straight toward the Iron Lash again.
When he was close enough, Alex hurled several daggers—each one glowing faintly with shadow energy. The Iron Lash swung its massive sword, easily deflecting them.
"Exactly what I wanted," Alex said under his breath, a cold smile forming.
He used the moment of distraction to flash forward, closing the distance in an instant. His scythe began to hum as he poured half his remaining Shadow Energy into it. The air distorted around him as the energy condensed, the blade trembling with restrained power.
"Half Moon Slash!"
The scythe sliced through the air, releasing a crescent-shaped wave of black energy that expanded as it flew. The attack hit the Iron Lash square in the torso, cleaving it in half at the waist. The impact was so immense that the wave continued on, obliterating several ruined buildings behind the monster in a surge of shadow.
When the light faded, only silence remained.
The Iron Lash's upper half toppled forward, its sword falling with a heavy clang before both halves disintegrated into ash. The faint sound of a system notification echoed in Alex's ears.
[Ding! Congratulations on defeating an Iron Lash.]
[You have gained 1,200 XP.]
[Level Up! → Level 21.]
Alex dismissed the notification with a flick of his hand and redistributed his new stat points evenly. His breathing steadied, though sweat glistened on his brow.
"Two layers down," he murmured, turning toward the misty corridor ahead. "One more to go."
He started forward but soon came across a group of adventurers battling another Iron Lash. Their movements were frantic—they fought hard but were being overwhelmed, their defenses breaking apart.
"Help us!" one of them shouted desperately. The others noticed Alex and called out too, panic lacing their voices.
Alex slowed to a stop, eyes cold. No benefit. No reward. Helping them will only waste time, he thought. I need to reach Velkar before anyone else does.
He turned away and began walking.